Helmholtz President Martin Keller visits the HZI

Two people in lab coats talking in front of a laboratory device — Helmholtz President Prof. Martin Keller visits the biotechnology center at the HZI

News

02/05/2026

Up close: Martin Keller in dialog with employees and young scientists

On February 5, 2026, the President of the Helmholtz Association, Prof. Martin Keller, visited the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig. In an open and cordial atmosphere, Keller took part in a comprehensive program that offered insights into the center's current research work, infrastructure and future prospects. Keller, who has been President of the Helmholtz Association since November 1, 2025, placed particular emphasis on direct interaction with HZI employees.

The third stop on his tour of all Helmholtz Centers took Martin Keller to the Braunschweig campus of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. In laboratory tours, he got to know two of the HZI's research platforms: the organoid platform and the biotechnological fermenters. In the organoid platform, the team showed how organ-like structures are produced from stem cells in order to study infection processes in a realistic biological context - a decisive step towards more precise and efficient research methods. In the biotechnology center, Keller visited the fermenter infrastructure for biotechnological process development for the production of anti-infective drug candidates.

The discussion rounds with doctoral students, postdocs and junior research group leaders provided an open platform for young scientists to voice their views on career development, research freedom and working conditions. Finally, an open discussion was held for all employees - an initiative that was well received amongst many. Here, employees from all sites of the HZI were able to address individual questions and suggestions directly to the Helmholtz President.

About Martin Keller

Martin Keller has been President of the Helmholtz Association since November 2025. Before this, he was Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, USA, and President of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy – the company that operates NREL for the US Department of Energy. NREL is considered the leading research institute for renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States. From 2006 to 2015, he held senior positions at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, most recently as Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environmental Sciences. Born in Germany, he studied at the University of Regensburg and earned his doctorate in microbiology. In 1996, he moved to the United States to join Diversa, a rapidly growing biotech company. Martin Keller is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was a member of the Supervisory Board and Scientific Advisory Board of Forschungszentrum Jülich and also serves on numerous other scientific committees.